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Making a Giant Cushion from Blue Jeans

For Christmas, the big splurge for the kids was a HugglePod Hangout, or a tent that hangs from above. It can go inside or outside. We have it in our laundry room right now because that is the only room with exposed beams and it’s too cold to go outside under the deck.

Kids in the Huggle Pod in the Laundry Room

As soon as we put up the HugglePod, the kids were enjoying some quiet time reading or using the iPad. Unfortunately, we misunderstood the instructions, and put the large cushion inside the tent rather than inside a flap under the tent. So within a few days, there are a large rip in the cushion.

Our broken Huggle Pod cushion

Bob and I could not see how the cushion would be comfortable inside that flap, so I decided to instead make a sturdy soft cover for our cushion. I decided to use Bob’s old blue jeans which I had been saving for a project just like this.

The Joy of Faded Denim

I have been following a quilter named Maura Grace Ambrose and her company Folk Fibers, one of this year’s finalists in the American Made competition. She hand dyes her blue fabrics with indigo flowers that she grows herself. She makes these quilts with big swaths of denim. The way she treats her fabric makes me so happy. So in some ways, this cushion reminds me of her work.

First I cut the jeans to get rid of the heavy seams and pockets. I then cut the legs into rectangles. I decided not to use the most faded knee parts to have a somewhat more even look to the denim.

Strips of jeans sewn together for our cushion

Next I lay the ripped cushion down and cut the jean “quilts” into two large circles to make the same size cushion.

Cutting the jeans in a circle

I machine sewed most of the cushion, then shoved the repaired green stuffed one inside. I hand sewed up the gap.

Sewing up our cushion

The end result was a very soft cushion made of a kid-friendly sturdy fabric! I’m pleased this is what happened to our old jeans!